The Royal Family loves a Christmas tradition, whether it's giving silly joke gifts or taking part in a fancy buffet dinner. But while royal watchers are used to seeing the monarch deliver a Christmas speech from Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, King Charles is stepping away from the norm for the first time this year.
Buckingham Palace announced on Monday, Dec. 23 that The King's Christmas speech was not recorded at a royal residence, with His Majesty choosing instead to tape the message from Fitzrovia Chapel in London. Per the palace, this is the first time since 2006 that a royal Christmas message has not been recorded at either Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle or Sandringham House.
The King's decision to deliver his annual message from the chapel is a poignant one for numerous reasons, as the church formerly served as the chapel of Middlesex Hospital, which was destroyed in 1924. The new hospital was opened by King Charles's grandfather, King George VI, in 1935.
However, since His Majesty was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, giving the speech from a hospital chapel also holds a deeper meaning.
Fitzrovia Chapel is described by the palace as "a jewel of Byzantine-inspired architecture," and in photos released ahead of the broadcast, The King stands in front of a gorgeous gold leaf ceiling covered in 555 stars. Per Buckingham Palace, the Christmas tree King Charles stood in front of featured "sustainable decorations including pinecones, metal bells, twisted glass and glass baubles."
In another note to his cancer journey, the tree was donated to the Croydon BME Forum and Macmillan Cancer Support’s "Can You C Me?" project and headed to the Royal Trinity Hospice, which Queen Camilla has served as patron of since 2006.
As is tradition, the Royal Family will gather to watch the speech at Sandringham House when it's broadcast on television. This year, more than 45 members of the family will be heading to Sandringham for Christmas, including Princess Beatrice and her family, who are last-minute additions to the list after doctors advised the pregnant royal not to travel abroad to visit her in-laws.
The King's Christmas speech will be broadcast in the U.K. at 3 p.m. GMT (10 a.m. EST) on Christmas Day and will also be posted on the Royal Family's YouTube channel.
